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The "Bug"...

Let me start off saying, I am a car guy and I am a noob to this forum (second post). I do this all the time, I find something to obsess over, rather it be a BMW 535i, a Nissan Maxima, or my current....A Cadillac CTS-V. I gotta have it, the car...something comes over me and I'm like, I want to buy it now!!! With the V, I love (loved) her. Power, elegance, and beauty. But she is a bit thirsty. I feel like that Volkswagen commercial that everyone knows your name at the gas station because you go there so often. Plus, it is not that roomy, I like to be able to stretch out a bit with my passengers. Now that I have a daughter, I definitely need more room. I have been looking for a replacement for her for some time now. Been looking at Audi S7, Porsche Panamera Turbo, and was considering a BMW 550i. Now enter the Tesla. My wife and I test drove one and I was blown away...and that was from the earlier one. I could have all the power and tons of space with no gas station stops (well, maybe for gum at least) in one. So here comes life...I had to retire from the military, mainly because of sequestration. Oh well, I see another deployment (been on 7 already, I'm tired, someone else go!) to fight ISIS on the horizon anyway so I'll take my merger little retirement check (one that I have to fight for) and leave. Now, I have an "ok" job. It pays the bills just not enough for a big P85D, or a brand new 90D the way I want it for that matter. So I may have to settle for a little older one to satisfy this "bug". My only draw back about the Tesla is that there is no exhaust noise. I can be one of those guys that you hear driving from three blocks away, but that gets old. Getting up for the gym in the morning waking up the whole house is not cool anymore (maybe with the wife, looking so peaceful sleeping while I have to go lift heavy amount of things until I ache...maybe I'll kick the bed on the way out (heh, heh!). I love the fact that more things are coming out to allow you to personalize your car more. How do some of you gear heads get over not being able to show off your motors and tell tales of how you ported the heads personally? Thanks for reading my story!

Thanks for your service, sounds like after 7 tours you deserve to live permanently in the country you've defended for so long - I hope you enjoy it.

There are a few options for you, a CPO car would likely be 10%-40% less than new depending on how old and how many miles. Many credit unions are financing under 2% right now for 6-7 years, diminishes payments. And there's leasing, so only a 3-year test-drive! Our Model S is 2012, but if buying now I'd go for the 90D - it's the sweet spot for performance, range, etc. Not a huge help, but here's a link for $1,000 off should you choose to buy before 7/15. Good luck and thanks again, always good to beef up the ranks of Texans who own Teslas!

If you are able to look at A7's and panamera's you can afford that P85 any day. one thing you have to get your mind wrapped around when you look electric total cost of ownership. todays society has been brainwashed to look at the purchase price and not truly account the times we fill it up. Yes the cost of acquisition on a Tesla is high, but the cost of ownership is extremely low. (IMO)

Try to look at the total cost of ownership over the life that you will own it, not just the acquisition cost.
Once you do that you will be buying yourself a Model S and your wife a Model 3.

My other car is a Lotus-7 style kit car - V8, 300 Horses, it weighs maybe 1,100 lbs ... the right pedal is referred to as the "loud pedal".

I don't miss the fact that the Tesla doesn't sound like that one bit. I love being able to pull out, or drive through a car park, completely silent. Only thing I keep the "Hooligan" for is being able to pull out of a junction and drive down the road for 50 yards with the tail out ...

How do some of you gear heads get over not being able to show off your motors and tell tales of how you ported the heads personally?

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Take your mates for a ride. Start off in silent stealth mode, drive to a straight road, stop, start a count, slowly, from 5 down to 1 and then somewhere between between 3 and 2, when they are not expecting it, floor it ...

.... My only draw back about the Tesla is that there is no exhaust noise. I can be one of those guys that you hear driving from three blocks away, but that gets old. ..

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I'm weary of the roar. Finally got one our vettes to pass smog yesterday, and was so happy, I stabbed it leaving the smog station, and drifted the car up to 3rd gear and chopped the throttle. Crap. I notice that I attracted the attention of our local PD. So I squirted through traffic, and hid in a shopping center for 20 minutes.

That used to be fun when I was 20. Now I just see court dates and dollar signs. Stealth is the way to go.

I'm not a gearhead, but showing off my motor is still a ton of fun. "Want to see what's under the hood?" Open it up to reveal... cargo space! "Ha ha, the motor is actually in the back, let's go see." Open the trunk to reveal... two more seats!

Thanks for your service, sounds like after 7 tours you deserve to live permanently in the country you've defended for so long - I hope you enjoy it.

There are a few options for you, a CPO car would likely be 10%-40% less than new depending on how old and how many miles. Many credit unions are financing under 2% right now for 6-7 years, diminishes payments. And there's leasing, so only a 3-year test-drive! Our Model S is 2012, but if buying now I'd go for the 90D - it's the sweet spot for performance, range, etc. Not a huge help, but here's a link for $1,000 off should you choose to buy before 7/15. Good luck and thanks again, always good to beef up the ranks of Texans who own Teslas!

Thank you, I appreciate it, that's kind of what I am looking at. I may have to wait a little longer to let my credit build up from buying a house but I'm leaning towards a P85, it has very similar performance as my V. I'm dying for a 85D for those times I want to let the car do the driving, but that's looks a little out of reach right now (maybe)

If you are looking for a CPO or discounted Inventory model, you could save a lot vs. buying new and the search at TeslaInventory.com allows you to search everything available throughout the country and instantly narrow down the list to match your criteria, price range, etc. You can also sign up for free email alerts whenever something new matches your search criteria.

If you are looking for a CPO or discounted Inventory model, you could save a lot vs. buying new and the search at TeslaInventory.com allows you to search everything available throughout the country and instantly narrow down the list to match your criteria, price range, etc. You can also sign up for free email alerts whenever something new matches your search criteria.

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This helps a lot! I have using tesla pre-owned as my search and was wondering what happened to their inventory!? I was lurking on the Tesla for sale site here and I think some of the offers there are a bit much.

I'm weary of the roar. Finally got one our vettes to pass smog yesterday, and was so happy, I stabbed it leaving the smog station, and drifted the car up to 3rd gear and chopped the throttle. Crap. I notice that I attracted the attention of our local PD. So I squirted through traffic, and hid in a shopping center for 20 minutes.

That used to be fun when I was 20. Now I just see court dates and dollar signs. Stealth is the way to go.

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LMAO! I recently found someone to "take care of me" with my inspection because my once passable car in Texas is not so much in NC. I stepped on it one time and got pulled over because of my supercharger whine and exhaust (before my inspection though).

If you are able to look at A7's and panamera's you can afford that P85 any day. one thing you have to get your mind wrapped around when you look electric total cost of ownership. todays society has been brainwashed to look at the purchase price and not truly account the times we fill it up. Yes the cost of acquisition on a Tesla is high, but the cost of ownership is extremely low. (IMO)

Try to look at the total cost of ownership over the life that you will own it, not just the acquisition cost.
Once you do that you will be buying yourself a Model S and your wife a Model 3.

From personal experience, I was pricing out a $50K ish Mercedes C class to A CPO Model S 85 around $75K. The S came in cheaper overall. (I am in Canada, but numbers are numbers).

The wife is currently driving a newer Honda CRV and we are getting her a Model 3 for the same reason.

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I wish I was really, that's why the Panamera was only a thought, especially when I saw that a brake job was reported as being $10,000....I would be riding a bicycle trying to figure out how I'm going to replace my pads! That is a good point about the cost of ownership, I did a little analysis and it would be more cost effective just in gas alone. I spend somewhere in the park of $400 a month for gas alone...

I'm not a gearhead, but showing off my motor is still a ton of fun. "Want to see what's under the hood?" Open it up to reveal... cargo space! "Ha ha, the motor is actually in the back, let's go see." Open the trunk to reveal... two more seats!

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Its funny you mention that, I just watched the video with the bank robbers at the check point, love it! I like space and the Tesla would definitely offer that for me. Plus the tech is amazing, do the earlier versions of the model S offer TACC at least? I believe I read that somewhere it does.

Its funny you mention that, I just watched the video with the bank robbers at the check point, love it! I like space and the Tesla would definitely offer that for me. Plus the tech is amazing, do the earlier versions of the model S offer TACC at least? I believe I read that somewhere it does.

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What video is this? Haven't heard of it.

Model Ss (Models S? Model S? Models Sssesesssses?) without Autopilot just have conventional non-adaptive cruise control. All cars built after mid-September 2014 have the hardware for Autopilot and just need software activation if they don't already have it. Cars built before that are stuck with regular cruise control forever.

There was a time for the better part of a year where TACC was available in Autopilot cars but Autosteer hadn't been released yet, so you may have encountered some references to that time. That's another cool thing about the tech: sometimes your car gets more features, as if by magic! Since I got my car, it gained Autosteer, automatic emergency braking, auto-park, Summon, and probably some other stuff I've forgotten about.

Model Ss (Models S? Model S? Models Sssesesssses?) without Autopilot just have conventional non-adaptive cruise control. All cars built after mid-September 2014 have the hardware for Autopilot and just need software activation if they don't already have it. Cars built before that are stuck with regular cruise control forever.

There was a time for the better part of a year where TACC was available in Autopilot cars but Autosteer hadn't been released yet, so you may have encountered some references to that time. That's another cool thing about the tech: sometimes your car gets more features, as if by magic! Since I got my car, it gained Autosteer, automatic emergency braking, auto-park, Summon, and probably some other stuff I've forgotten about.

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Oh ok, that makes sense then. I love the fact you can have all new features in the car overnight!

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